Structuring Your Novel: Essential Keys for Writing an Outstanding Story

Why do some stories work and others don't? The answer is structure. In this IPPY and NIEA Award-winning guide from the author of the bestselling Outlining Your Novel, you will discover the universal underpinnings that guarantee powerful plot and character arcs. An understanding of proper story and scene structure will help you to not only perfectly time your story's major events, but will also provide you with an unerring standard to use in evaluating your novel's pacing and progression.

Rock Your Plot: A Simple System for Plotting Your Novel

Are you stuck trying to write a novel? This audiobook goes straight to the point, putting theory in plain language, adding examples from blockbuster stories, and finishing each section with exercises designed to help you work with your characters to write a novel that excites you and your readers.

Story Structure: The Key to Successful Fiction: The Red Sneaker Writers Book Series, Volume 1

"Writing is structure,” William Goldman said, but too often aspiring writers plunge into their work without grasping this fundamental principle. Story structure is one of the most important concepts for a writer to understand - and ironically, one of the least frequently taught. In this book, New York Times best-selling author William Bernhardt explains the elements that make stories work, using examples spanning from Gilgamesh to The Hunger Games.

Fiction Writing Demystified: Techniques That Will Make You a More Successful Writer

At last, a how-to book that explains the nuts-and-bolts of writing solid, entertaining, commercial fiction, written by someone who's been there. Practical, filled with examples and no-nonsense, take-'em-to-the-bank nuggets, Fiction Writing Demystified shows how the imperatives of effective storytelling translate readily to narrative fiction, genre or literary, screenwriting, even to nonfiction, poetry, sermons, or business documents - techniques that will make anyone's writing come alive!

Million Dollar Outlines

In this audiobook, Dave teaches how to analyze an audience and outline a novel so that it can appeal to a wide readership, giving it the potential to become a bestseller. The secrets found in his unconventional approach will help you understand why so many of his authors go on to prominence.

Outlining Your Novel: Map Your Way to Success

Let outlines help you write a better book! Writers often look upon outlines with fear and trembling. But when properly understood and correctly wielded, the outline is one of the most powerful weapons in a writer's arsenal.

Stein on Writing: A Master Editor Shares His Craft, Techniques, and Strategies

Stein on Writing provides immediately useful advice for writers of fiction and nonfiction, whether newcomers or accomplished professionals. As Sol Stein, renowned editor, author, and instructor, explains, "This is not a book of theory. It is a book of usable solutions, how to fix writing that is flawed, how to improve writing that is good, how to create interesting writing in the first place."

The Step-By-Step Guide to Writing a Novel for Fiction Writers and Novelist

This book, The Step-by-Step Guide to Writing a Novel for Fiction Writers and Novelist is a one-of-a-kind book. It is different from anything you would have listened to because it reverses the usual order of things. It does not teach you the same old tips and tricks. Instead the book divides the process of novel writing into six easy steps. Each step becomes a chapter that gives you complete insight and knowledge. It grabs you by the hand and takes you forward.

Sizzling Style: Every Word Matters

Too often aspiring writers are frustrated by rejection, not realizing that the problem is not the story but the way they are telling it. In this audiobook, best-selling author William Bernhardt brings his down-to-earth approach to the subject of style, revealing everything you need to know to write with the art and craft of a seasoned professional. Bernhardt goes beyond memorizing rules to a fresh approach, a philosophy of writing that will transform your work and take it to a higher level.

Learn the inner secrets of selling fiction to an ever-increasing audience of readers! Bestselling author and writing coach James Scott Bell brings you powerhouse techniques and strategies in this collection, much of which is from his popular posts at The Kill Zone blog. If you're serious about selling your fiction, Fiction Attack! is your battle plan for breakthrough.

Writing Creative Nonfiction

Bringing together the imaginative strategies of fiction storytelling and new ways of narrating true, real-life events, creative nonfiction is the fastest-growing part of the creative writing world. It's a cutting-edge genre that's reshaping how we write (and read) everything from biographies and memoirs to blogs and public speaking scripts to personal essays and magazine articles.

Excellent Editing: The Writing Process

Why do so many people talk about writing a book but never get the job done? Why do so many start books they never finish? And why is the final product often so much less than what editors and agents want? Because writing is a process, and no steps can be omitted without impacting the quality of the work. As best-selling author William Bernhardt explains, editing begins before you start writing and doesn't end until the book is in print (if then). This book guides writers through that process, explaining what's worth doing and when to do it.

Write. Publish. Repeat.: The No-Luck Guide to Self-Publishing Success

In 2013, Johnny B. Truant and Sean Platt published 1.5 million words and made their full-time livings as indie authors. In Write. Publish. Repeat., they tell you how exactly how they did it: how they created over 15 independent franchises across 50+ published works, how they turned their art into a logical, sustainable business, and how any independent author can do the same to build a sustainable, profitable career with their writing.

Amazon Customer says:"The One Book All Self Published Authors Must Read!"

The Art of X-Ray Reading: How the Secrets of 25 Great Works of Literature Will Improve Your Writing

Where do writers learn their best moves? They use a technique that Roy Peter Clark calls X-ray reading, a form of reading that lets you penetrate beyond the surface of a text to see how meaning is actually being made. In The Art of X-Ray Reading, Clark invites you to don your X-ray reading glasses and join him on a guided tour through some of the most exquisite and masterful literary works of all time, from The Great Gatsby to Lolita to The Bluest Eye and many more.

William Bernhardt explains the essential elements of breakout books, stories that reel in readers and attract serious attention. He discusses all the essential elements: originality, high stakes, believability, inescapable conflict, emotional appeal, and others. Plus, in the final chapter, Bernhardt explains how to turn your powerful premise into a winning pitch to attract agents and editors.

Writing Tools: 50 Essential Strategies for Every Writer

“Writing is a craft you can learn,” says Roy Peter Clark. “You need tools, not rules.” In this essential guide, Clark distills decades of experience into fifty tools that writers of all kinds can use every day. You may be crafting a newspaper story or an admissions essay for college. You may be writing a technical report or drafting your first novel. You may be a student or a teacher, a poet or a critic, a columnist or a blogger. You may be preparing a PowerPoint presentation or penning a love letter.

You Are a Writer (So Start Acting Like One)

In You Are a Writer, Jeff Goins shares his own story of self-doubt and what it took for him to become a professional writer. He gives you practical steps to improve your writing, get published in magazines, and build a platform that puts you in charge. This audiobook is about what it takes to be a writer in the 21st Century. You will learn the importance of passion and discipline and how to show up every day to do the work.

Jennifer S. Leblanc says:"Author is someone I'd like to have a beer with"

Dialogue: The Art of Verbal Action for Page, Stage, and Screen

In Dialogue, Robert McKee offers in-depth analysis for how characters speak on the screen, on the stage, and on the page in believable and engaging ways. From Macbeth to Breaking Bad, McKee deconstructs key scenes to illustrate the strategies and techniques of dialogue. Dialogue applies a framework of incisive thinking to instruct the prospective writer on how to craft artful, impactful speech.

Conquering Writer's Block and Summoning Inspiration: Learn to Nurture a Lifestyle of Creativity

Inspiration is a slippery thing at the best of times. But as a writer, you can't afford to wait around on Madam Muse's goodwill. In this encouraging audiobook, award-winning author K.M. Weiland shows you how to nurture creativity and put it at your summons, rather than the other way around.

Writing the Novel from Plot to Print to Pixel: Expanded and Updated!

Unlike many advice-givers, Block doesn't tell you what book to write, or the one and only way to write it. He holds that every novel is different, and so is every novelist; his aim is to give you the tools to enable you to find your own way.

On Becoming a Novelist

On Becoming a Novelist contains the wisdom accumulated during John Gardner's distinguished twenty-year career as a fiction writer and creative writing teacher. With elegance, humor, and sophistication, Gardner describes the life of a working novelist; warns what needs to be guarded against, both from within the writer and from without; and predicts what the writer can reasonably expect and what, in general, he or she cannot.

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

The prolific, perennially best selling author recounts his early life and writing struggles, gives advice on the crucial aspects of the writing art, and talks about his much-publicized, near-fatal accident.

Publisher's Summary

David Morrell, best-selling author of First Blood, The Brotherhood of the Rose and The Fifth Profession, distills four decades of writing and publishing experience into this single masterwork of advice and instruction for fiction writers looking to make it big in the publishing world. With advice proven to create successful novels, Morrell teaches you everything you need to know about:

I have been debating on attempting a novel and have no experience writing, other than college papers 15 years ago. What is really good about this book is that the author really seems to care about people who are interested, but not sure where to start. This book really is for people like me, who have this plot in their head and it needs to be written...now what. He includes very practical "getting started" advice, common mistakes, good advice on what seems like every concern to a novelist. He constantly uses himself and his experiences to show good and bad ideas, which is immensely helpful! He wrote First Blood (Rambo movie) and since most people are familiar with the movie, its easy to follow his examples using it. He also includes everything to expect from brainstorming your plot and characters, to actual writing, to organizing, to submitting drafts, to agents, to publishing, to movie contracts...all very interesting. The time spent on "how" to write in perspective was great. It feels graduate school quality. The biggest plus for me is that in all of this knowledge he is sharing, he is constantly writing to me, encouraging me to not write to achieve any of those things, but to write to satisfy myself. Mr. Morrell, this has been such a reality check and informing. It was a pleasure to read it. Thank You!

Firstly, I really enjoyed this reader. There were times where his delivery was so enthusiastic that I thought maybe HE wrote the book. Lawlor was the perfect match for Morrell's direct, clean, and clear prose.

This book features lots of advice and tips on writing the types of books Morrell writes -- thrillers. (I don't mean that pejoratively, if it sounds that way.) There's a good assortment of life stories on everything from Morrell's life before publication up to and including his present day success. I was pleased to hear a few real world figures. He includes statistics on how few people actually make a living as a professional writer. Morrell is one of the few writers to tell you honestly what he was paid for one of his projects. He breaks down the sale and history of First Blood for you.

He has an extended section where he rails against the use of first person point of view in fiction. For a former Literature professor he's surprisingly literal-minded when it comes to a first person story telling. He seems to accept only diary entry or oral history transcribed as the only plausible explanations for how a first person story gets into a reader's hands. I've always taken it as one of fiction's conventions that you were more or less inside the narrators head as the story is laid out for you.

That minor quibble aside, this book lives up to it's reputation and is well worth a listen.

I've read too many books to count on the subject of writing so wasn't expecting anything earth-moving when I purchased this other than perhaps "something to remind me to do things that I'd otherwise forgotten about". Boy was I wrong. This was a wonderful book - I enjoyed every moment of. Not only informative - it's always great to hear from someone who has "been there and done that" tell how the real deal is - but it's also full of lots of great tips and motivations AND a fair amount of doses of reality - not always pleasant but heck, that's the real world, right? I loved this book and thank you David Morrell for writing it and for sharing such a wealth of information.

I have already listened to this audio three times and I will probably listen to it again. David Morrell, author of First Blood among other books - gives advice I can use every time I sit down to write.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Successful Novelist?

His advice is down to earth, realistic and usable. I highly recommend this book to anyone trying to write a book. It is one of the most helpful books I have ever encountered on writing.

David touches on everything it seems. The book is not boring and perfectly paced. I learned so many facts about being a writer that I'm more confident in my future journey without so many mind clogging questions. He exposes his own personal life which helps tremendously for understanding what's ahead. Great work!

This is a great book for someone interested in being a writer and even someone interested in just knowing how writers are able to create page turners. David Morrell is known for writing "First Blood," which is often mistakenly referred to as "Rambo." The tone is conversational and even modest for someone who has written bestsellers. Th book is filled with useful advice and humorous stories.

A very insightful and practical book on writing (primarily fiction) by a highly intelligent and accomplished fiction author who also loved teaching writing as an academic for many years. I highly recommend it for anyone wanting to know more about the fiction writing craft and gain insights into the difficulties of publishing.

What made the experience of listening to The Successful Novelist the most enjoyable?

David Morrell writes the type of fiction I aspire to write. This is a gem.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Successful Novelist?

When the author was narrowly saved from losing his hands.

What does Patrick Lawlor bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He does a great job. I like his narrating and have had zero issues with it. Good choice.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Confessions of a Suspense Novelist... but it really should not be a movie.

Any additional comments?

First, I looked into this author and found that he actually invented Rambo. Wow. Plus, he was unsure about First Blood ever being sold, and expressed the same beginner emotions that everyone probably feels.

So I got one of his books on Audible, "Testament", to find out if he writes the types of books I'd like to write (besides First Blood). Within minutes, I knew I wanted to write gripping suspense novels like David Morrell. "Testament" hits the ground running with a disturbing situation and dramatic question (hook) (Why is this happening to this family?). Yes, I definitely want a book by this author explaining his writing process.

"The Successful Novelist" delivers everything I hoped for. I really liked the information on opening lines and the occasional stories about Morrell's writing career. If you like books on the craft of writing, I think you'll like this book. I'm only about halfway through, and very glad this is a really long book with tons of information.